Dining rooms across the county have been vacant for nearly two months, but that’s all changing very soon. Starting Monday, August 31, Miami-Dade restaurants will be allowed to resume indoor dining with additional guidelines in place for this second go around.
Mayor Carlos Giménez made the news official during a live press conference on Tuesday, though rumors of a change had begun to circulate late last week. Giménez held private video calls with restaurant owners and met with the county’s League of Cities earlier in the day to discuss easing restrictions—and all were in accordance with moving forward. “They had all signed something that said they wanted [dining rooms] open some time ago,” said Mayor Giménez, adding that none of the mayors or council managers indicated they would be enforcing stricter rules, which some had done in the past.
The new rules fall closely in line with what was in place when restaurants were first allowed to reopen for indoor dining: 50-percent capacity in dining rooms, a maximum of six people per table (from the same household) and compulsory use of masks. Based on a new recommendation from White House medical staff, restaurants will now have to keep the air running at all times and leave all doors and windows open to allow for better air circulation. Mayor Giménez noted that it had been done in Arizona and was successful in tamping down positivity rates.
“We’re hovering around 10 percent [positive rate] and I want to make sure it keeps going down, so we’re going to take this very cautiously,” he said. Staying vigilant includes a stay on the current 10pm curfew and maintaining casinos, banquet halls and bars closed for the foreseeable future. “We’re taking it one step at a time and are heading in the right direction.”
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